What's in a Name
by instrument trio
Summary: When you turn a love made of words into a love made of action, some things are bound to get lost in translation. Why is it that theory is so much easier than reality? -AU, NaruHina-
1. Chasing Her

Hey, y'all, it's Akiraka speaking. I'll start out with the blanket disclaimer and all that jazz: I DO NOT OWN NARTUO, NOR SHALL I EVER. But that's OK. I'll also point out that as this is a alternate setting fic, the characters are bound to be a little OOC... but that's OK too. Anyways, thanks for reading, and please enjoy!

-

_"What's in a name? That which we call a rose  
By any other name would smell as sweet.  
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,  
Retain that dear perfection which he owes  
Without that title."_

- William Shakespeare, _The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet_

**1.**

He doesn't even know her.

Not… _well_, anyway.

He has no idea what she looks like.

Where she lives.

What she does for a living.

She could be a serial killer.

All Naruto Uzumaki, age 26, single, resident of apartment 8E in an orange building on Lawson Avenue, knows about the woman of his dreams is her shy disposition, her favorite color, and her name.

Hinata Hyuga.

It's music to his ears.

Naruto slides into his roommate's chair, logs into his roommate's computer, and tries to ignore said roommate's petulant sounds of dinner-making. He prays to whatever god is up there that Hinata is on.

**hhyuga100:** hey, naruto.

He falls over trying not to fall over.

**rmnluver99: **Sup, babe.

He hopes she's blushing.

**hhyuga100: **naruto! D:

He loves it when she does that.

**rmnluver99: **Just kidding.

**rmnluver99:** How was your day?

…

**hhyuga100:** hard.

**hhyuga100: **boring.

**hhyuga100: **u?

She's such a teenager.

…Wait.

_Shit._

**rmnluver99: **Great.

**hhyuga100: **really?

**rmnluver99: **No.

**hhyuga100: **:D

**rmnluver99:** Listen, Hinata.

**rmnluver99: **I'm not trying to sound like a stalker or anything, but how old are you?

**hhyuga100:** i'm 26.

Naruto feels like kissing someone in relief, but the only person around is Sasuke.

And his roommate is gay enough already.

**rmnluver99: **You sure?

**hhyuga100: **yes, naruto, i know my own age.

**hhyuga100: **why?

**rmnluver99: **Oh, nothing.

**hhyuga100: **no, really. why?

**rmnluver99: **Um, just making sure you aren't 14.

**hhyuga100: **why on earth would you think i'm 14????

**hhyuga100: **…

**hhyuga100: **it's the lowercase letters, isn't it.

**rmnluver99: **And the smilies.

**hhyuga100: **that doesn't make me a teenager!

**rmnluver99: **like, omg, rly? no way.

**hhyuga100: **are you making fun of me?

**rmnluver99: **lol.

**hhyuga100: **well, then, mr. uzumaki. how old are you?

**rmnluver99: **26.

**hhyuga100: **liar!

**rmnluver99: **No, honestly! I'll be 27 next October.

**rmnluver99: **I think my roommate is trying to get me a spot in a nursing home.

Please be laughing.

**hhyuga100: **haha. :D

**hhyuga100: **well, while we're divulging secrets

**hhyuga100: **i wanna know where you live.

Naruto blinks.

**rmnluver99: **What, like an address?

**rmnluver99: **Do you want a credit card number with that, too?

**hhyuga100: **no!!!

**hhyuga100: **just… a general area?

**hhyuga100: **i'm curious, that's all.

**rmnluver99: **New York.

**hhyuga100: **oh, really? the city?

**rmnluver99: **Yeah?

**hhyuga100: **oh my god, i live in new york too!

Naruto feels his heart flutter.

No, not flutter.

He has _some_ dignity left.

**rmnluver99: **Is that so. Small world.

**hhyuga100: **small as 8 million people.

**rmnluver99: **:D

**hhyuga100: **:P

**rmnluver99: **Well, what part of New York do you live in?

It isn't a stalker question. It's not!

**hhyuga100: **i live in an apartment over by grand central.

**rmnluver99: **Posh.

**hhyuga100: **it isn't, really!

**hhyuga100: **it's very ordinary.

**hhyuga100: **i promise.

She's so self-conscious.

It's _so_ cute.

**rmnluver99: **Did your dad set it up for you?

**hhyuga100: **…yes.

**rmnluver99: **Only the best for daddy's little girl, right?

About a minute goes by, and Naruto knows he's said something wrong.

**hhyuga100: **yep.

Naruto hastens to make up for his faux pas.

**rmnluver99: **I could be your neighbor, you know.

**hhyuga100: **you better not be!

**hhyuga100: **my neighbor is a 70 year old french man with a fat, gray cat he treats like his first born son.

**rmnluver99: **Zut alors, Fluffikins, she's on to us!

He can hear her laugh.

It sounds like bells.

**hhyuga100: **:D

**hhyuga100:** but really. you aren't, right?

**rmnluver99:** Of course not.

**hhyuga100: **good!!!

**hhyuga100: **i mean.

**hhyuag100: **yeah.

She's blushing, he knows it.

**hhyuga100: **tell me where you really live.

**hhyuga100: **please?

**rmnluver99: **You know New York Snapshot, right?

**hhyuga100: **yeah?

**rmnluver99: **Did you see the one with Drew Barrymore coming out of the Starbucks?

**hhyuga100: **yeah?

**rmnluver99: **That's where I live.

Wait for it.

**hhyuga100: **…you live in a starbucks?

Success!

**rmnluver99: **No!

**hhyuga100: **:D

**rmnluver99: **I live in the orange building in the background.

**hhyuga100: **wow.

**hhyuga100: **impressive.

**hhyuga100: **you're a regular celebrity, naruto!

**rmnluver99: **You know it.

"Naruto, God damn it, get out here and eat the fucking food before it gets cold."

Naruto leans back in his chair and sees Sasuke standing in the door.

In a frilly black apron.

…He's so gay.

Naruto snorts.

**rmnluver99: **sry, g2g.

**hhyuga100: **:P

**hhruga100: **good night, naruto.

Naruto sighs.

**rmnluver99: **Yeah.

**rmnluver99: **Good night, Hinata.

--


	2. The System

**2.**

Hinata sips her cooling coffee.

It's disgusting.

Hinata makes awful coffee.

She frowns.

Today's Monday. She has to work today.

Ick.

She doesn't want to work.

She wants to lie down on her nice leather couch.

She wants to lie down and forget that she's lonely and single and 26 and farther away from becoming a writer than she was before she started college.

God, she didn't even think that was _possible._

Hinata rubs her bleary eyes with the sleeve of her outdated wool coat.

Ugh, she hates Mondays!

Hates them, hates them, hates them!

Hinata sighs. She knows she's just putting it off.

…But she _really_ doesn't want to go!

Sakura will be there, she tells herself. Sakura will brighten your day.

Literally. Her bright pink hair will blind you.

Hinata sighs again.

But Sakura _is_ a friend. A good, loyal friend who thinks that Hinata initiated the friendship only because she's shy and insecure.

This is half the truth, but Hinata likes to pretend it's the whole thing.

It takes away from the guilt that ensues because she knows she just struck it up with Sakura to spite her father.

In her father's eyes, people with pink hair are _so_ beneath him.

Hinata used to loathe being the thorn in her father's side, but now she takes up the task with a certain sense of duty.

However, the sheer tedium of it all doesn't stop her from feeling bad that everything she does is to either infuriate or sate her old man.

She goes to art school, knowing that he hates artists.

She agrees to pay for it herself, _and_ to give the money he saved for her to her sister and cousin.

She moves to New York, of all places, and starts working for an unstable fashion designer.

She pays the exuberant rent he demands all while living in an apartment of his choosing.

Hinata rests her forehead in her hands.

Well, maybe that's why she loves the secrecy of talking with Naruto online?

Because it's a relationship she knows her father would hate?

No.

Her face lights up when she realizes it.

No, she likes it because-

Because she likes Naruto!

Hinata downs her coffee and goes to work, carrying this new bit of knowledge inside her like a sweet secret.

--

Naruto flings a dart at the board that's hanging on the wall of his office.

And sighs.

His life is so mundane.

He throws another dart, and it strikes a few inches to the right of the bulls-eye.

Another sigh.

Another second of his life GONE.

"Stop that."

Naruto leans back and looks at Sasuke upside down.

It's bad enough having him as a roommate, but does he have to have him as an officemate too?

"Stop what?"

"That sighing. It's annoying."

Naruto lets out another long, drawn out sigh.

Sasuke glares at him with obsidian eyes.

Naruto is unbothered.

"Is it that chick?"

Blue eyes flick up. "Hmm?"

"That chick you're monopolizing my computer with."

"Nah. Everything else."

Sasuke grunts and turns back to his computer, satisfied that Naruto won't sigh anymore.

"She's _perfect_, Sasuke."

Sasuke rolls his eyes at the screen. "Fine, Naruto. What does she look like?"

"Well, you see… I don't know."

Sasuke turns and gives him a withering look. "No pictures?"

Naruto stares. "No!"

"And how long have you known her?"

He looks away. "We've been talking for two months."

Another withering look. "Naruto, I'd have been in her pants by now."

Naruto sits up and glares daggers at the other man. "She's not like that, Sasuke! She's sweet, and honest, and kind… and funny, and smart, and creative, and-"

"Doesn't do you any good if you can't meet her."

"For your information, she lives here. In New York City."

Sasuke raises an eyebrow that says it all.

Naruto gives up the glare and slumps back in his chair. "At least I'm better off than you. You haven't even spoken to a girl in the past week."

"Oh, hey, Sasuke," comes a voice from the doorway. "I saw your new article. It was _excellent._"

It's Tenten. She gives Naruto a sharp-toothed grin before dropping a stack of papers on his desk and sauntering out the door.

Sasuke makes a smug little "hm" sound and stalks out after her.

Naruto throws another dart.

This one doesn't even hit the board.

--

**hhyuga100:** ok, you ask one.

**rmnluver99: **All right, fine. Um...

**rmnluver99:** What's your job?

**hhyuga100: **i'm a fashion designer. sort of.

**hhyuga100: **i design clothes, but barely any of them get made.

**rmnluver99: **That's cool. The designing part. Not the barely-any-made part.

**hhyuga100: **:)

**hhyuga100: **i really want to be a writer, though.

**hhyuga100: **i'm actually kind of good at it.

**rmnluver99: **Nice.

**hhyuga100: **well, what do you do?

**rmnluver99: **I'm a sports journalist for the New York Herald.

**hhyuga100: **oh my god, really????

**rmnluver99: **Yeah.

**rmnluver99: **I do some photography for the newspaper too, sometimes.

**hhyuga100: **that's so cool!!!!

**hhyuga100: **oh, i'm so jealous! you're so living my dream!

**rmnluver99: **It's really not that glamorous, I'll tell you that.

**hhyuga100: **still!!!!

**rmnluver99: **Now you ask one.

**hhyuga100: **um, ok. let me see.

**hhyuga100: **what's your favorite flower?

**rmnluver99: **What kind of question is that?

**rmnluver99: **I'm a guy!

**hhyuga100: **i should hope so. :)

**hhyuga100: **it can tell a lot about a person, that's all.

**rmnluver99: **Oh, Jesus.

**rmnluver99: **You don't believe in that hippie crap, do you?

**hhyuga100: **…

**rmnluver99: **I mean

**rmnluver99: **If you do, that's great.

**hhyuga100: **:)

**hhyuga100: **just answer my question, naruto.

**rmnluver99: **Um. I like sunflowers.

**hhyuga100: **hmmm.

**rmnluver99: **Is that the right answer?

**hhyuga100: **there's no wrong answer, if that's what you mean.

**rmnluver99: **Well, what's your favorite flower, then?

**hhyuga100: **hyacinth!

**rmnluver99: **Hyacinth?

**rmnluver99: **What about lavender?

**hhyuga100: **what about it?

**rmnluver99: **All girls like lavender!

**hhyuga100: **i guess i just like hyacinth more.

**hhyuga100: **and i don't, by the way.

**hhyuga100: **believe in that hippie crap, i mean.

**rmnluver99: **Ah.

**hhyuga100: **:)

--


	3. His Mistake

3.

Hinata comes to work three days later to find…

…complete chaos.

Sakura scuttles up to her almost immediately, clutching a steaming mug of tea and trying to smooth down her short pink hair. "He's on it again, Hinata."

Hinata grimaces. "Whose turn is it _this_ time?" She looks around for the poor soul.

"Actually… it's you."

She pales. "M-me?"

"Yes!" Sakura sets her tea down on the nearest flat surface and begins pushing Hinata towards the big mahogany door set imposingly in the farthest wall. "Stop him before he kills someone!"

"B-but-"

"Please?" Sakura begs.

And then she's gone.

So here Hinata is.

She stares apprehensively up at the door and wonders again why she works here.

Then she opens it.

Immediately, something that looks like a vase hurtles at her and she closes it again. She listens to it breaking against the wood and swallows uneasily.

She opens the door again, just a crack. "U-um… Good morning, G-Gaara, sir."

An angry grunting noise comes from behind the desk, but thankfully, nothing else is thrown at her.

There're a few minutes of silence as Hinata struggles to figure out what to say. Then, just as Gaara is considering throwing the stapler at her, she blurts out, "I-Is there anything I c-can get you, s-sir?"

"Espresso Macchiato. Now." He says darkly.

Hinata barely takes the time to register his words. "S-Sure!"

Gaara flinches as she slams the door in her effort to escape.

--

Naruto reads _The New York Herald_ while waiting for his coffee at a Starbucks a few blocks away from his office.

God damn it, Sasuke's article _is_ excellent.

He haphazardly refolds the paper and impatiently rolls it up.

"Grande Espresso Macchiato!" comes the musical, excited voice of the blond Starbucks girl.

Naruto checks his watch. He only has twenty more minutes until he's due at work, and he doesn't want to spend it here, jammed between a stock broker and an art student.

He rakes a hand through his blond hair.

He can't even remember what he ordered.

Naruto notices that the blond barista is still waiting on the claimer of the Espresso… Mocha… thing.

Eh, sounds close enough to what he ordered, right?

He fights his way through the coffee-starved crowd and scoops up the tall Styrofoam cup of caffeine. He cradles it in his hands and is just about to get away when he feels a small hand on his arm.

"E-Excuse me?"

Naruto turns around.

He stares.

The woman standing before him is about a hand shorter than himself. Her layered black hair is falling into eyes the lightest shade of grey he's ever seen. They avoid his as she lifts a thin finger to point at the coffee. "Um… I-I think that's m-mine."

He blinks down at her, trying to stop staring. "Grande Espresso Macchiato?"

She smiles tentatively. "Yes." She lifts her other hand to reveal an almost identical Styrofoam. "Espresso con Panna?"

He smiles back. "Now _that's_ what I ordered."

They execute an awkward trade, in which the woman has to readjust her bag, showing that her coat is at least 3 sizes larger than she is.

Naruto swallows.

"S-Sorry about all this. M-My boss get k-kind of, um, psycho when h-he doesn't his coffee." She offers a hand. "I'm H-Hinata Hyuga."

…

_What?_

"Hinata Hyuga?" He hears himself saying. "Really?"

"Y-Yes." She's confused, and her hand quickly snakes out of his. He resists the urge to pull it back.

A million things are running through his mind, and for once in his life, he has nothing to say.

"A-And you are…?" She prompts, shifting uneasily from one foot to the other.

"Uh… I'm…" What to do, what to do?

Tell the truth?

I'm Naruto Uzumaki!

He doesn't want to scare her away.

What to do?

"…Sasuke Uchiha."

She smiles again. "Nice to m-meet you, Sasuke. I h-hope I didn't make you l-l-late for anything."

Naruto's heart is sinking like a rock. "Oh, not at all. I have time to kill actually."

Hinata (the real Hinata Hyuga!) looks relieved. "G-Good. I wouldn't have wanted to… c-complicate your morning."

Naruto shakes his head vigorously. "Meeting you would never be a complication, no matter the circumstance."

She blushes a pleasant shade of pink, and Naruto feels a little warmer.

He suddenly remembers the few manners he has. "Would you like to sit down? We could talk for a bit…"

Hinata bites her lower lip. "Oh, I c-can't. I r-really do have to get this stuff t-to my boss… He'll be h-homicidal if I don't."

Naruto searches her face for sincerity.

"B-But… m-maybe if we exchanged ph-phone numbers, we could stay in t-touch?"

He stares.

She looks back up at him.

And then the world starts again.

He writes down his number with shaky hands. She gives him a scrap with her number written in curling, swooping handwriting.

She flashes him a bright, euphoric smile, and scampers away.

He watches her almost run into the broker he was standing behind minutes ago.

_Jesus._

--

Hinata drifts back to the studio with a hazy grin pasted on her face.

She dreamily sets the coffee on Gaara's desk, and dazedly ducks the tape dispenser thrown at her. It hits Shikamaru in the elbow, causing him to swear loudly.

She glides back over to her drawing board and sinks into the chair behind it.

She sighs loudly and Sakura, sitting at the drawing board next to her, lifts a thin pink eyebrow. "So, how was it?"

Hinata looks over at her friend. "_Wonderful."_

Sakura picks up a dull yellow pencil. "Never heard that particular adjective associated with Gaara before."

"Not that!" Hinata giggles happily. "The coffee shop!"

Sakura finally looks up and taps the pencil on Hinata's nose. "Lemme guess… you met a guy."

Thunder stolen, Hinata allows her face to fall just a notch. "How did you-"

Sakura switches from yellow to lavender. "Please. I've seen that face a hundred times. Either you're on drugs, or you met a guy." She looks up again. "Kind of wish you were on drugs, though."

Hinata frowns. "Thanks for the opinion, _Susan._"

Sakura flinches. "Don't call me that!"

"Anyway, this guy isn't like all the ones you know. He's great."

The other woman rests her chin on her fist. "And how long have you known him?"

"About fifteen minutes." Hinata sighs blissfully. "Probably more."

"Damn, girl, how desperate are you?"

Hinata pointedly ignores the question. "You should have seen him, Sakura. His name's Sasuke and he's tan! _Tan _in _New York _in _December_! And he had this blond hair, and his smile. Oh my God, his smile. And his eyes! Lord, Sakura, they were amazing. They started out at this deep crystal blue color, and then they sort of… tapered down into this-this perfect shade of hyacinth blue!"

All this "hyacinth blue" stuff was setting off warning bells in Sakura's head. She sighs. "Then go out with him."

Hinata is immediately shocked out of her daze. "Wh-what? Seriously?"

"Yeah. After a date or two, you'll figure out that he's a pervert, or a workaholic, or an alcoholic, or _something_. You'll realize that you're much better off without him."

Hinata gives Sakura an odd look, but she's already gone back to work.

The roseate haired woman decides to add some hyacinth blue to the mix.

--

**hhyuga100:** i don't really like chinese food.

**rmnluver99: **…

**rmnluver99: **WHAT?

**hhyuga100: **?

**rmnluver99:** How can you not like Chinese food???

**hhyuga100: **i just… don't.

**hhyuga100: **it's spicy.

**rmnluver99: **Oh, whatever.

**rmnluver99: **What about Japanese food?

**hhyuga100: **is there a difference?

**rmnluver99: **D:

**hhyuga100: **jk

**hhyuga100: **:D

**rmnluver99: **But seriously.

**hhyuga100: **i like sushi well enough.

**rmnluver99: **And ramen?

**hhyuga100: **ramen's pushing it.

**hhyuga100: **but i like it too.

**rmnluver99: **Good.

**hhyuga100: **but you know, i'm really more of a stew kind of gal.

**rmnluver99: **…"a stew kind of gal"?

**hhyuga100: **oh, shut up.

**rmnluver99: **lol, u r stew.


	4. First Date

4.

Naruto is lazing on the couch, watching football and trying to drown his sorrows in Cheetos and Pepsi.

It's working exceptionally.

He hasn't thought about her _once._

Except for the time when he was staring at the DVD player…

…And the time he was flipping through the channels…

…And the time he was getting another Pepsi.

But other than that, not _once!_

The phone rings in the middle of an amazing break away made by Brett Favre. Naruto glances over at Sasuke, who doesn't look up from _The Keeping Christmas Cookbook._

"Well, don't let's both jump up at once." He grumbles, turning down the volume and reaching over to grab the phone.

"Hello?" He asks, watching Favre weave silently across the screen.

"Um, h-hi," comes a quiet voice on the other end. "I-Is S-S-Sasuke there?"

"Yeah, sure, one sec-" Then it hits him. "Wait, is this Hinata?"

"Yes?"

"Hi!" He says. "This is Sasuke."

Of course, this doesn't go over well with the real Sasuke. He finally looks up and graces Naruto with a glare that would kill lesser men.

"H-Hey!" Hinata squeaks on the other end.

"Hi," he says again.

There's a moment of awkward silence, and suddenly Naruto can't contain the laughter bubbling in his stomach. After a couple of seconds, he can hear her laughter too.

"S-Sorry," she says, her words still edged with laughter.

"Oh, no problem." Naruto turns the television off and swings his legs around so he's facing the wall.

"So, I was j-just wondering…" She pauses and he hears her take a shaky breath. "Maybe… w-we could g-get together this Th-Thursday."

Naruto blinks at the wall and doesn't say a word.

"I-I mean!" She says loudly in response to his silence. "If you're b-busy… w-we don't… um…"

"Yeah, Thursday sounds great." He tells her, grabbing a pen and a piece of paper.

Sasuke hasn't stopped staring at him yet.

"Oh!" Hinata sounds surprised, as if she hadn't expected him to say yes. "W-Well… I know this g-great place over o-on E-Eighty-first… It's I-Italian. The Yellow Moon. D-Does 6:30 sound O-OK?"

He tries to imagine her twiddling her fingers, and… and he can actually see it.

He can see every curve of her face, every speckle in her pale eyes, every stray black hair…

"That sounds perfect, Hinata." He grins, relishing her name.

"G-Good." She sounds so relieved. "I-I'll see you then, S-Sasuke."

"…Yeah. See you." There's a light click as she hangs up.

"Naruto." The real Sasuke says blandly from the table. "You can't use my name to play some girl."

"What do you care?" Naruto scowls, feeling the giddiness of five seconds ago fading. "Besides, I'm not playing her."

"As much as we both know you'd love to be me, you aren't."

Silence.

"Tell me, and I won't bug you."

More silence.

Sasuke opens his mouth again, but Naruto beats him to it. "_No_, I won't tell you for a Scooby Snack."

Sasuke just smirks and goes back to his cookbook.

He doesn't ask Naruto about it again.

--

Apprehension.

Anxiety.

Anticipation.

_Asshole._

Hinata covers her mouth with her hand, as if she had actually let the word slip through her lips. She whispers a barely audible apology to the ground, but she knows the man has passed her by. She carefully adjusts her pumps and swipes her too-long bangs out of her eyes.

Too much time talking with Naruto.

Too many swear words!

Hinata takes a deep breath and folds her arms across her chest. She glances up at the restaurant front, the cheerful gold awning fluttering in the winter wind.

The Yellow Moon is _perfect_.

She knows the owner.

It's a cheerful, crowded restaurant. She's not likely to get harassed, not that Sasuke would do that or anything…

Plus there's an openable window in the women's restroom.

She's all set.

Hinata frowns as she realizes she feels like an army general.

But more than that, she feels _stupid._

There's a rush of warm air as the door to the restaurant opens. A happy couple rushes out, the woman pulling a hat over her ears and the man ushering her down the sidewalk with a protective hand at her waist.

She glances after them until they disappear into the stream of people flocking off Broadway.

Then her eyes fly back to the restaurant and she spots another couple following a waitress towards a table in the back. Suddenly she feels more foolish and sick than ever, and turns around. There's no way she can do this, no friggin' _way-_

_Slam._

"Ow…" Hinata sits on the ground, her eyes stinging.

She feels like an ill-tempered five-year-old.

Her hair is ruined, her back hurts, and now she's close to tears.

How could it get any worse?

"Hinata? God, I'm sorry. Oh, Jesus, are you OK?"

She looks up and Sasuke's staring back down at her, his blue eyes dark with concern.

Hinata blinks rapidly and takes his outstretched hand. "Y-Yes, I'm f-fine. It was m-my fault a-anyway…"

"No, it wasn't. I should have been looking… You look great, by the way."

"Um, thanks." She dusts off her skirt.

He's smiling now, so confident in himself and in her. His face is so sincere, and she can't help but feel comforted.

She can't help but swallow her tears.

"Here." He pulls the door open.

Hinata shoots him a shy smile, and steps into the warm glow of The Yellow Moon.

Maybe she won't need her escape plan after all.

--

Naruto becomes nervous only after the two of them have been seated and he's left staring at her.

She immediately picks up the menu, peering over the top with her pale, pale eyes.

"The l-lasagna is g-great." She whispers.

He lifts his menu, but not before he can see the twist of her fingers.

"How do you do that?"

She glances up, startled. "Hmm?"

"How do you do that thing? With your fingers?"

"Oh!" She blushes and looks down at her hands. "Um. W-Well… Y-You just… s-sort of twist th-them, I g-guess. Um… like this." She untangles her digits and in a quick, fleshy flash, they're twisted up again.

"Like this?" Naruto props his elbows on the table and tries to mimic her movements.

She shakes her head and laughs.

Not condescending.

Not snide.

Her face just lights up and she reaches over, hesitant, and takes his hand in hers. Her slender fingers swiftly arrange his into the same strange configuration as hers were seconds before. "L-Like _this._"

He looks up at her and lifts an eyebrow. "Why do you do it?"

The pink of her face turns red and her hands are quickly back in her lap. She takes a deep, shaky breath, but when she looks up, her gaze is anything but feeble. "In c-case you haven't n-noticed, I'm not exactly a c-confident person, Sasuke."

At the mention of his name (or lack thereof), Naruto's hands fall limp and he laughs awkwardly. "Right. Sorry."

She smiles at him with earnest understanding. "No, i-it's fine." She looks around, discards the menu, and leans in close. "I-I probably sh-shouldn't be t-t-telling you this, b-but this is only my f-fifth first d-date."

He must look alarmed, because Hinata hurriedly waves her hands. "I-I mean, I've b-been in a lot of l-long t-term relationships and… there's w-work, too."

"What do you do for a living?" He can't wait to be off this tangent.

"Well, I-I'm a fashion d-designer."

"That's pretty awesome."

She bites her lip. "Thanks, b-but I've always w-wanted to b-be a writer. It's s-sort of this d-d-dream I have…"

He smiles at her. "That's pretty awesome too."

Hinata grins, a new confidence apparent on her face.

"Have you two decided on what you'd like?" asks the short, red-headed waitress. She taps her pen on her notepad and regards them expectantly.

Naruto blinks, realizing he has barely looked over the menu at all. Hinata looks over at him and his mind races. "I'll have the lasagna and the house merlot, thanks."

The waitress glances at Hinata, who just smiles and hands her the menu. "A-A Chianti, please."

"Nice choice," the red-head remarks, raising her eye brows in Naruto's direction.

Naruto stares bemusedly at Hinata. "Aren't you- Aren't you going to get anything?"

She just twiddles with her hair and smiles.

He sighs. "So… how long have you wanted to be a writer?"

"Oh…" She considers it for a bit. "P-Probably since I-I was in h-high school, I suppose."

"So, lemme guess." He leans back in his chair. "You were the quiet writer type, who all the English teachers loved. You probably made the school newspaper famous for four years."

She looks pleased; her cheeks turn red and she rubs her lips together. "I-I wish. I w-was more the g-girl who was t-taking all the AP classes b-because her f-f-father made her. I-I only ever s-sent in an a-article o-once, and i-it was anonymous. M-My family… w-wouldn't have liked it i-it if they knew I-I was writing." She takes a sip of the Chianti that was just placed in front of her. "A-And it's _whom_ all the English t-teachers loved, S-Sasuke."

Naruto isn't quite sure what to say to that.

"Well, w-what do _you_ d-do for a l-living?"

"I'm a reporter for _The New York Herald._" He says it without thinking.

"Oh, really?" Her eyes grow brighter than ever. "D-Do you… Do you happen to know a N-Naruto Uzumaki?"

_Shit._

"Um…" Naruto glances around, searching for inspiration. "Naruto Uzumaki? Is he from accounting?"

Hinata's face falls just a notch, but she quickly regains her composure. "N-No, but th-that's fine. S-So what do you d-do at _The Herald_?"

Naruto racks his brain.

What on earth does Sasuke write about again?

"I do pieces on world news."

"Oh, r-right!" Hinata exclaims. "I r-remember reading one o-of your a-articles! It was _excellent_!"

Naruto smirks. "Thanks."

"W-Well, I think I c-can pinpoint w-what _you_ were l-like when _you_ were in high s-school." She smiles mischievously.

"Really?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Y-Yes. You m-must have been a c-complete athlete. You p-probably played s-soccer… _maybe_ basketball."

Naruto runs a hand through his hair and grins. "You're wrong about me too! A few of my friends and I were going to try out for basketball, but then I got my first camera." Here Hinata nods in understanding. "I was addicted. So instead of playing once or twice a season on B-squad, I took pictures of all the sports for the town newspaper."

"That's really cool, Sasuke." She says happily.

"Hey, you didn't stutter." He smiles wider when she turns a darker shade of red. "So, do you come here often?"

She gives him a look: a slow, tentative smile. Does she know he's kidding? "Um…"

"I mean," he laughs, "do you eat here a lot?"

She gives him the same look again. This time she's messing with him back. "Does i-it look like I e-eat a lot?"

He rolls his eyes. "_Totally._"

She stares at him, mouth half open in an odd smile. Then she reaches over and slaps the back of her hand against his forearm. "S-Sasuke, you jerk!"

"Wow." He rubs the spot in mock pain. "The very first date and you're already beating me up. _And_ verbally harassing me."

For a second, Naruto thinks he's gone too far. Hinata's shoulders hunch up and her mouth moves as she thinks of something to say. Then she murmurs, "I h-hate to think of w-what the s-second date will b-be like."

He laughs, stunned for a moment. "I don't want to think of it, either!"

She bites her lip. "B-But you will… w-won't you?"

"What?"

"You'll th-think a-about… about a s-second date."

Naruto's confused. "Of course."

Her relief is just about tangible for a split second, then her embarrassment washes off of her in waves. "U-Um… OK. G-Good."

The silence that follows is… heavy. All Naruto can hear is laughter and the tinkling of glasses. Somewhere on the other side of the room the staff sings a birthday song to a probably flustered patron. "So, S-Sasuke, when i-is your b-birthday?"

He's surprised by the question. He has to literally bite his tongue to keep him from saying October. "…July. July 23rd." He rubs the back of his head, standing his golden hair straight up. "What about you?"

Hinata touches her own hair. It's flat iron straight and the color of India ink. "D-December 27th."

"Really? That's cool. I mean, it's so close to Christmas."

"Y-Yeah, well, i-it's not so c-cool when your f-f-father refuses to get you b-birthday gifts b-because it's s-so close t-t-to the year's m-major holiday…" She traces the rim of her wine glass using her finger. Her voice is light, but it can't mask the bitterness underneath. "That's… n-not so f-fun."

"Oh." Naruto looks away. "I'm sorry."

"N-No!" She waves her hands again. "It's f-fine! Really, I-I'm u-used to it. In a month it'll b-be over, then it w-won't m-matter. Seriously, it's fine."

Naruto squints, his brow furrowing. "It _should _matter. It's your birthday."

"Yes, well…" Hinata's hold on her hair tightens. "C-Christmas."

"So it isn't your favorite holiday?"

She wrinkles her nose. "N-Not at all. I… I almost h-hate it."

Naruto shakes his head. "Why? I mean, besides the birthday thing. I mean, it's _Christmas._ The feeling of it is the best."

Hinata shakes her head too, a tiny, meek side-to-side motion. "C-Christmas is… d-depressing. T-To me, at least. A-All it really was t-t-to my family w-was a c-contest: who h-had the biggest bash… who w-was invited… w-what you g-got for s-someone else… It was terrible."

"Oh."

"B-But anyway… what a-about your f-f-family? How was C-Christmas for you?"

Naruto leans back in his seat, thinking. "I… _love_ Christmas. It's definitely my favorite holiday." He smiles. "I mean, the snow, the family. I know that sounds weird and sappy, but it's true, you know? I just really, _really_ like Christmas."

She smiles at him. "Your p-parents must have b-been really good at m-making it h-h-happy for you."

He frowns a little bit. "Actually… my parents are dead. They died when I was two."

"Oh, my god!" Her jaw drops, and Naruto feel strangely guilty. "Sasuke, I am so sorry." Her hand finds his on the table, and she gives it a squeeze.

"It was a fire."

"Sasuke, I am…" She shakes her head, as if keeping bad thoughts at bay. "I am _so _sorry."

"It's all ri-"

"Lovers' Lasagna?"

The voice of the waitress interrupts them, and Hinata withdraws her hand. Naruto blinks. "Excuse me?"

"Lovers' Lasagna." She places the dish in front of him.

_Oh._

_My._

_God._

It's huge.

"Damn." He whispers, and Hinata laughs softly.

The piece of lasagna is a square, at least seven inches on all sides. "I…I…" Naruto splutters, staring at it.

"We're s-supposed to sh-sh-share." Hinata says, a smile evident in her voice.

Naruto looks up at her. "You planned this."

Hinata blushes scarlet. "N-Not really… I j-just always k-kind of wanted a guy to o-order 'Lover's L-Lasagna' f-for me."

Naruto shakes his head. "You're terrible."

"I-I'm not!" She cries and lifts her fork halfway across the table.

They eat steadily, talking and laughing until the lasagna is reduced to a neat 2 x 2 square. The two lean back, completely satisfied.

"Wow," Naruto says, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm stuffed."

"M-Me too," Hinata sighs. "I-It's a shame, t-too; their ice c-cream sundaes are _amazing._"

"Ice cream sundaes?" He laughs. "What are you, eight?"

"Oh, d-don't flatter me…" Hinata waves her napkin out of her lap, a white flag of cheerful surrender.

"So!" The waitress is back again, and she glances between the two of them. "How was it?"

Naruto looks closely at Hinata. She's pink, but he doesn't think she's so embarrassed anymore. "Great." He says, grinning at her. "Really great."

She looks at each of them once more. "Well," She takes out her notepad. "I'm glad. Can I get you some dessert or coffee tonight?"

"Um," Naruto looks over at Hinata, but she shakes her head. "I-I'm fine, th-thanks."

"All right. I'll take the check."

"O-Oh!" She says, holding up her hands. "Y-You don't have to-"

"It's _fine_, Hinata." He laughs, and the waitress hands it to him.

"Um… thanks," She says softly, ten minutes later as they stand outside of The Yellow Moon, just about ready to part ways. "F-For tonight, I mean."

"No problem." He smiles at her, shoving his hands farther into the pockets of his thick brown coat. She licks her lips, and after a moment of awkward silence, Naruto turns to go.

"A-Ah, Sasuke, w-wait!" She scurries after him. "I j-just want to… um… thank you. A-Again. F-For b-being patient, I mean, with me. Um, I know I'm v-very shy, and i-it takes me… a _while_ to, um, g-get warmed up t-to people, b-but I r-really… I-I really-"

Naruto cuts her off with a kiss.

A _kiss._

Even he can barely believe it.

"For being so shy," He says. "You sure talk a lot."

"W-W-Well!" She stammers.

"Meet me tomorrow?" He asks, backing away from her again. His hands fall back into his pockets. "At the Starbucks. What time do you get off work?"

"Uh…" She looks dazed and skittish at the same time, if that were possible. "6:15."

"Great." He grins at her, and she smiles hazily back at him. "See you then."

He turns his back to her, but not before he can hear a barely audible. "OK, Sasuke. OK."

--

**hhyuga100:**

Away.

**rmnluver99:**

Away.

--


	5. Too Deep

5.

"So, which one is he?"

"N-None of them. He's n-not here yet."

A quirk of an eyebrow. "Punctuality is a dating virtue, Hinata…"

"I know, I know! J-Just be p-patient."

"Well, he only has-" A glance at a diamond-studded watch. "-seven minutes until he's officially late."

"W-Will you just relax, Ino? I wasn't e-expecting him to be a half-hour early…"

Ino has enough grace to look offended.

"A-And don't you h-have other customers to help?" This whole affair is making Hinata extremely edgy.

"Excuse _me_, Miss- Oh wait, is _that_ him?"

Hinata whirls around on her stool and sees Sasuke stepping into the coffee shop, dusting speckles of sleet from his coat and hair. She hurriedly turns around again. "Y-Yes."

Ino makes an appreciative "mmph" sound. "You're right, he _is_ fine. How'd he find his way onto your line?"

Hinata is already red. "I-Ino, please…"

"Oh, careful, Hinata! Here he comes. Try not to faint."

"St-Stop, Ino, s-seri-"

"Hey, Hinata."

Hinata squeaks and quickly swivels to face him. "S-Sasuke!"

"Hi," He drops into the stool at her right, the one she has been guarding stalwartly for the past half an hour. "How was your day?"

"H-Hard," She sighs. "A-And boring." If she isn't mistaken, he smiles a bit to himself. "What about you?"

"Great."

"R-Really?"

"It is now."

Hinata is back to being a beet.

"So, handsome." Ino leans over the counter, her cleavage conveniently at his eye level. "What can I get for you?"

"I-Ino!" Hinata gives her what she hopes is a deadly glare. "P-Please."

"All right, all right." She straightens up and adjusts her olive green apron. "But really, what can I get you two?"

"Just a latte." Sasuke says, taking off a worn pair of leather gloves.

"Um, s-same," Hinata plays with the hem of her skirt.

"Coming right up." Ino winks playfully at Sasuke, and Hinata lets out a breath of hot air.

As soon as she's out of earshot, Sasuke raises his eyebrows at her. "So who is _that_?"

Hinata would be ashamed to admit that jealousy spiked in her stomach. "O-Oh, that's just Ino Yamanaka. A-A real f-flirt."

"Wait. That's Ino Yamanaka?"

"Yes." Insecurity puts Hinata's mind on overdrive, churning out suspicions faster than she can say go. "W-Why?"

"My buddy at the paper was doing a review on her play. Apparently, it was great. I'm just wondering, why is she working _here_?"

"O-Oh!" Relief makes her giggle a little too exuberantly. "Sh-She just thinks the i-idea of b-being an actress w-working in a c-coffee house is so r-r-romantic."

He laughs with her, and suddenly she wants him to kiss her again. "So, tell me more about _your_ job."

"M-My job?" She blinks rapidly and looks down. "Th-There's really nothing-"

"You said you were a designer." His blue eyes pierce hers.

She _loves_ those eyes.

"Y-Yeah."

"Well, what do you design?"

Hinata is reminded vaguely of her first job interview, yet somehow this holds more weight. "P-Pretty much everything. J-Just n-not swimsuits."

He gives her an incredulous look and she turns red. _God, that was stupid._ "Makes sense. You don't really seem like a swim ware type of girl."

Hinata sighs in relief. Making sense has never been her forte.

"Here ya go, hotshot." Ino says silkily, placing a Styrofoam cup in front of Sasuke. "Do want some more foam on that?"

Sasuke spares her a glance. "No, thanks. So who do you work for?"

Hinata is sure her disbelief is written all over her face. Ino smirks at her and mouths, _He's a keeper._

"Hinata?"

"U-Um." Hinata is suddenly incredibly aware of everything she's doing; every intake of breath seems too loud and each heartbeat feels too fast.

Can he tell?

_He's interested in you._ A tiny voice in the back of her mind yells. _Don't screw it up!_

"Uh…" The coffee house feels muggy and small.

Suddenly she can't breathe, and she starts to lean on the counter.

"Are you all right?" Sasuke takes her shoulder and attempts to sit her up straight.

"Oh!" She blinks, and her face turns the color of tomatoes. "Yes, I-I'm fine. A-Absolutely fine."

"If you say so…" He laughs a little and takes a swig from his latte.

_You're losing him,_ shouts the same small voice.

"And here's yours, Hinata," Ino says. "Enjoy, you guys."

"You still haven't told me who you design for."

"S-Sand," She says. "W-We're called Sand."

He grins at her. "Sounds cool. I'd like to see some of your designs sometime."

"M-Maybe." She laughs and plays with the hair that has fallen out of her bun.

He gives her a look. "You're never gonna show them to me, are you."

She bites her lip. "Y-You don't understand… They're very bad…"

He laughs. "I've never seen _any_ designs before, so yours would be the first." He shrugs now and switches the position of his legs. "And the best."

Hinata turns pink with pleasure. "O-Oh. W-Well… we'll see."

There's a silence for a few minutes, and Hinata lets her mind wander. There still isn't snow outside, just half-frozen rain. People carry umbrellas, but it's no use; the sleet isn't falling, it's blowing.

"Sorry," Sasuke says abruptly. "Just thinking about where we're going to go next."

"N-Next?" Hinata stutters, startled.

"Yeah. I mean, you got to pick the first date, right? It's only fair that I should get to pick the second one."

"Um… th-third."

He's staring. "Well… This isn't _really_ a date, is it?"

She meets him dead on. "It could be."

So he grins. "OK. It's a date."

But she blushes and fills her silence with a sip from her latte. Sasuke doesn't miss the purse of her lips and the slight wrinkle of her nose. "Something wrong with your coffee?"

"U-Um…" She fiddles with her fingers, yet again exposing her unfortunate habit. "I'm actually n-not that b-big of a fan of c-coffee."

He laughs, but she can tell he's confused. "But you were here- with an espresso. What-?" She opens her mouth, but he seems to understand. "Ah, right. Your boss."

"Y-Yeah, he's… o-odd." She glances at Ino, who's been casually standing with her back to them for some time. "I-Ino!"

The woman whirls around immediately, betraying her previous eavesdropping.

But Sasuke interrupts. "A hot chocolate, please."

"N-No! It's t-too much, really. Y-You don't have to-"

"Relax, Hinata. Geez." He sounds amused, but Hinata immediately shuts her mouth in case he isn't joking. Ino, in turn, glides away to mix the chocolate.

"But you want to be a writer."

Hinata's flattered to no end that he remembers so much about her. She can't do more than nod.

"Well, what would you write?"

She blinks. No one has ever asked her that before. In fact, people are so surprised be her improbable job that they don't realize that it isn't her cup of tea. It's throwing her off. "Um…"

"So… Fiction or non-fiction?" He asks.

Hinata doesn't have to think. "Fiction."

Sasuke smiles. "OK, what _kind_ of fiction?"

She holds her breath a moment and then says, "Anything." She laughs. "Everything! I'd write it all, i-if I could."

"But why _can't_ you?" He gives her a skeptical look.

"I just-" But she's cut off by a buzzing sound coming from Sasuke's pocket.

He gives her an apologetic look, and Hinata inclines her head a touch. He sighs and digs the cell phone from his coat.

Despite Hinata's mental promise _not_ to listen in on the conversation, she can't help but begin to eavesdrop.

"…You're kidding." He's saying, the frown evident in his voice. "_Now_? …And there's no way…? No. No, I guess not." He sighs again. "OK. I'll be right there."

Hinata quickly turns away as he flicks the phone shut and swivels to face her. "Hey, um… My cousin and her family are coming in for the weekend, and the flight was supposed to come in at 8:30, but it's early, and well, I have to…"

"N-No, of course!" Hinata tries to have faith in him, but it's hard not to believe he's lying. "You g-go right ahead."

"Hinata, if I didn't have to pick them up, I'd stay. I'm serious."

She nods. "O-OK."

"I'll call you soon."

Again. "O-OK."

For a moment, they sit in silence. Hinata plays with the hem of her skirt again and Sasuke itches the back of his head. Suddenly he stands. "So I'll see you."

She smiles as Ino sets the chocolate down in front of her. "Yeah."

Sasuke quickly hands Ino the money before Hinata can pay. "Um, Hinata? Can I ask you one more thing?"

Hinata swirls the chocolate, evening out the whipped cream. "Y-Yes?"

"Uh… Can I have another kiss?"

Hinata freezes and feels her face heat up.

He grins sheepishly. "I sort of forgot to ask first last time… Sorry."

She sets down the chocolate and stands up a bit unsteadily. Hinata stares at him for a few seconds, allowing the hubbub of the coffee shop to move without them.

Then she throws her arms around his neck and proceeds to, well, kiss his brains out.

God, it's been _forever_ since she last kissed a guy like that.

"And i-it's 'may I', Sasuke," She says once she's done, and he laughs. She steps back, embarrassed. He laughs, obviously surprised and amused by her audacity. "I'll call you."

She nods nervously, "B-B-Bye." She follows him with her eyes on his way out.

"Jesus, Hinata!" Ino whispers surreptitiously. "Were you just sucking face with that guy?"

Hinata covers her face with her hands. "I-Ino, _please_ shut up…"

--

Naruto rings the buzzer with a gloved finger.

"H-Hello?"

"Hey. It's Na- It's Sasuke." He licks his lips and shuffles his feet in the cold. "Should I come up?"

"O-Oh, hi, S-Sasuke. S-Sure. Um, S-Seventeenth floor. Door on the l-left."

He smiles as he hears her trip over all the S's. "OK, be right up."

The lobby is high-end, definitely fancier than anywhere any of his friends would live. It makes him nervous the same way the first date made him nervous.

He's starting to feel like he's getting in too deep.

After pushing the top button in the elevator, Naruto shakes some drops of sleet from the flowers in his hands as gently as he can. He really has no clue when it comes to flowers. These are the first he's ever gotten for a girl he's dated.

Could he call Hinata his girlfriend?

Nah, not yet.

But it _is_ the fourth date.

The elevators doors slide open before he can continue his debate.

As Hinata had alluded to before, there are only two doors on the floor, separated by a stretch of blank white wall. Both are a shiny, foreboding black color that matches the black marble flooring.

However, in front of the door on the left is a straw mat emblazoned with _HOME SWEET HOME_.

It's so incredibly out of place that Naruto has a hard time stifling his laugh. He rings the doorbell to distract himself.

Hinata almost immediately answers, standing halfway behind the door as she lets him in. Naruto holds the flowers behind his back. "Hey."

Hinata smiles. "H-Hey yourself."

"I saw your mat. I like it."

She immediately turns red. "Oh, th-that. Um… That's f-for my f-father." He waits a moment, but she doesn't elaborate.

"These are for you." Naruto holds out the mix of white, purple, and blue hyacinth.

"Oh!" She says, staring at them. "Wow…"

He smiles, satisfied, but she merely looks confused.

"S-Sasuke, they're b-beautiful… b-but hyacinth are r-really, um, _unlikely_ flowers. Um, w-why…?"

Naruto curses himself. _Why? Because you said they were your favorite flowers when you were talking to Naruto. But I'm not Naruto now, am I?_ He clears his throat. "Well, I was at the florist's and I was going to get you roses or carnations or something, but she had this huge bundle of these out and I thought they looked nice, and they were, well, unique, so I got them but I probably should have stuck with the roses-"

She interrupts him with a kiss on the cheek. "Don't w-worry, I-I love hyacinth." She steps back "It's just… I-I was w-w-wondering…" Hinata stares at him for a moment, then seems to remember where she is. "U-Um, hang on. I'll j-just put these in some water."

Naruto glances around the apartment as he hears the water running in the kitchen. The black marble stops about six feet from the door, giving way to soft-looking white carpet. There's a huge white leather couch with its back to him, facing a row of ceiling-to-floor windows with a great view of Manhattan. Everything is black and white except for a thick purple blanket folded neatly in the seat of a black armchair.

And that splash of pink over there.

Naruto turns abruptly to find a rather intimidating woman with pink hair standing a doorway to his left. Hinata pops back into the room with a vase full of hyacinth. "Oh, S-Sasuke, this is S-Susan Haruno." She sets the vase down in an empty spot on a table in the entryway.

Naruto sighs. Now another person thinks his name is Sasuke. None-the-less, he accepts Susan's outstretched hand. "Please, call me Sakura."

Naruto blinks. "All right, Su-" She sends him a _really_ intimidating glare. "I mean, Sakura."

"Sakura's staying with me for a few days while her flat is getting painted." Hinata smiles at Sakura and brushes her hands off on her dark jeans. "O-OK, you ready to go, Sasuke?"

"Ah, hold on, Hinata." Sakura's voice is clipped. She leans over and whispers something in Hinata's ear. She turns red and covers her mouth with her hand. "U-Um, I'll b-be right b-back!" She says after letting out an embarrassed, but muffled, laugh.

"Uh…?"

"She went to go clean some lipstick off her teeth." Sakura places her hands on her hips. "Meanwhile, we've got some things to discuss."

Naruto stares.

"Listen up. Hinata is my best friend. You've probably discovered that she isn't the bravest person in the world. If you take advantage of that in any way whatsoever, I'll break your nose. Capeesh?"

He swallows.

Yes, telling Hinata the truth tonight is definitely out of the question.

--

**hhyuga100: **so, what do you look like?

**rmnluver99: **Are you serious?

**hhyuga100: **i'm just curious.

**hhyuga100: **sorry.

**rmnluver99: **Nah, don't be.

**rmnluver99: **Um.

**rmnluver99: **I have light hair

**rmnluver99: **and blue eyes…

**hhyuga100: **wait.

**hhyuga100: **you're not asian?

**rmnluver99: **Um, no?

**rmnluver99: **Why?

**hhyuga100: **well, you know.

**hhyuga100: **"naruto uzumaki"

**hhyuga100: **you can't say it isn't an asian name.

**rmnluver99: **Oh, that.

**rmnluver99: **I can explain that.

**hhyuga100: **please do.

**rmnluver99: **So my parents were total hippies, right?

**hhyuga100: **really?

**rmnluver99: **Peace, love, all that jazz.

**hhyuga100: **nice.

**rmnluver99: **I know!

**rmnluver99: **My mom was really obsessed with everything Asian.

**rmnluver99: **She couldn't get enough of pretty much anything from Asia.

**rmnluver99: **So… she named me Naruto.

**hhyuga100: **ah.

**hhyuga100: **but what does naruto mean?

**rmnluver99: **All right.

**rmnluver99: **So have you ever been to a real ramen house before?

**hhyuga100: **yeah, actually.

**rmnluver99: **Sweet.

**rmnluver99: **So you've seen those little pink swirly things?

**hhyuga100: **…yeah?

**rmnluver99:** That's a naruto.

**hhyuga100: **…

**hhyuga100: **are you SERIOUS?

**rmnluver99: **No joke.

**hhyuag100: **omg.

**hhyuga100: **your mom named you after a ramen decoration.

**hhyuga100: **what was she on?

**rmnluver99: **Both of them dabbled in LSD for awhile

**rmnluver99: **if you must know.

**hhyuga100: **D:

--


	6. Falling Up

6.

Hinata blows on the cheese and broccoli soup in front of her. This trick is to get it cool enough to eat, but not to congeal the top layer of cheese.

For Hinata, this requires immense concentration.

Too bad for her, though; almost immediately after she sits down on the vinyl seat, Sakura slides into the one across from her. "So, tell me all about it."

Hinata gives the soup another good gust. "About what?"

Sakura rolls her eyes before biting into her eggroll. "Your date!"

"O-Oh!" Hinata actually enjoys reliving last night's events and will do so to anyone who'll listen. "He took me to this g-great pizza place, and it was kind of smoky, b-but-"

"Hinata, I mean your _date._ The _man_, Hinata."

She blushes and returns to blowing on the cheese. "Sasuke is g-great."

Another roll of the eyes. "'Great' doesn't cut it, sweetheart… give me the steamy details."

Hinata turns even redder. "St-St-Steamy…?"

"All right, fine. Don't. At least give his downsides."

"D-Downsides?" Hinata blinks. "He d-doesn't really have any."

Sakura takes another bite. "Oh, please. Every guy has at least _one._ An Achilles' heal? A weak link? Come on."

Hinata holds a hand above the soup. Still too hot. "Um…"

"Once, I dated a guy who was a Meat-of-the-Month Club member. Then there was that guy who tried to blow up the UN because it blocked the view of the river from his apartment."

"Oh, my God!" Hinata momentarily abandons the soup. "Y-You knew that guy?"

Sakura sighs huffily. "This is exactly why I don't tell people that. But really, how about it?"

Hinata cautiously takes a sip. _Perfect._ "Um, he hasn't really told me of any terrorist attempts yet…"

She gives Hinata a withering look. "You are so small-minded, Hinata."

"Well, I don't really know all that much about him yet!"

"Really."

"Yeah! I-I mean, his parents died when he was little and he grew up in Philly with his aunt and uncle and two cousins. He likes watching football and soccer, but n-not basketball, and he loves all kinds of noodles-"

"He calls them noodles? My mother calls them noodles."

"Shh! So he likes n-noodles and his favorite soda is Pepsi and he writes about world news and his f-favorite color is orange."

Sakura is quiet for a moment as she pushes some scraps around on her paper plate. "You don't think that's a lot?"

"I-I guess…"

"But you can't think of _anything_ bad about him?"

Hinata is silent for a while too. "W-Well… S-Sometimes I think he knows a little t-too much about me."

Sakura snorts. "You're kidding, right?"

"N-No…" Hinata blushes. "B-But, I mean… You saw him. He gave me hyacinth, which is weird enough, and he always remembers that I want to be a writer. S-Sasori _never_ remembered that, and we went out for three years…"

Sakura stops playing with her food. "I thought you got over him a long time ago, Hinata."

Hinata frowns. "I-I did. I mean, I have. It's j-just…. _hard_ to forget th-three years, right?"

Sakura shrugs.

"B-But Sasuke just knows everything. H-He gets everything right."

"I hate to admit it, Hinata, but some guys are just like that." Sakura turns serious. "Unless you think he's, like, a stalker or something."

Hinata waves her hands hurriedly. "No, no! It's just… I-I have no idea how he'd know all that."

Sakura twists the cap off of a diet white tea. "He's just gotten lucky so far, then. But keep your eyes peeled and you'll run into something."

Hinata scrapes up that last bit of broccoli. "I'm not sure I-I want to find anything bad about him."

Sakura snorts. "Why date otherwise?"

"I-Isn't the purpose of dating to give other people a chance?"

She laughs. "A chance at _what_? Marriage is a sham, Hinata, and everyone knows it. Get used to it; you're going to be single for a long time."

Hinata stands abruptly. "I-I-I gotta run; lunch hour's almost over." She almost jogs away, leaving Sakura sitting at the cafeteria table alone.

--

Naruto thinks it's really hard talking to Hinata sometimes.

He's always pretending, or lying. Mostly both at the same time.

When he's Naruto, he has to lie about his parents to get rid of some of the similarities between him and, well, himself.

When he's Sasuke, he has to pretend he has no idea that her favorite ice cream flavor is cookie dough when he surprises her with dessert.

Sometimes he wonders if she finds all the coincidences suspicious, but she just eats it up.

But Naruto know that sounds bad.

In fact, it sounds _terrible._

The real Sasuke tells him daily that he is a terrible person, and sometimes he can't argue with it. Even if it_ is_ coming from a guy who went after his brother with a steak knife.

But Naruto will digress.

It's not that he doesn't want to tell Hinata the truth; he really does. He'd be on cloud nine if he could hear her call him 'Naruto' to his face. He'd be able to IM her about everything, not just one half of his life. Even he doesn't know the extent of how much he wants that.

But somehow he just can't escape the feeling that if he were to tell Hinata the truth now, it would completely screw up everything he has with her.

He doesn't love her, of course. At least, not yet. He'd just like the chance to have an actual relationship with someone, not just another week-long fling.

So far, this has lasted almost two weeks, and it probably isn't a fling any more.

And he's _happy._

He is.

When they finally to a topic that can surprise them both, Naruto revels in it. When he doesn't know what she's going to say before she says it, he can finally relax.

So he'll keep on being Sasuke Uchiha, the long-time orphan, world news writer, and Hinata Hyuga's potential boyfriend. But he'll also stay Naruto Uzumaki, the happy son of a single mother, a sportswriter, and Hinata's clever chat-buddy.

He'll keep working at this, because as hard as it can be to talk to Hinata, it'd be so much harder not to talk to her at all.

--

"So, do you like to skate?" Sasuke asks, smiling.

The two stand behind the barrier of the ice rink at the Rockefeller Center, staring that the skaters gliding on the other side. He had surprised Hinata by bringing her to skate, and now she's gazing at the golden Prometheus on the other side.

"Y-Yes." She says "B-But… I haven't since I was, l-like, eight."

It's true. She had been starting simple jumps; her teacher had said she would be great, maybe even good enough to compete at state in a few years. But then there had been a call from her mother's doctor, and suddenly there was no one to take her to practice.

"That's fine. I'll help you, I promise." His leather-clad hand slips into hers. "Let's go grab some skates."

Hinata is surprised by the speed at which Sasuke procures the skates, but she's even more surprised that she's forgotten how to tie them. "U-Um, Sasuke… c-could you…?"

"Sure." He yanks on the dull white laces and hooks them around her ankles. "I wouldn't really expect an eight year old to know how to tie skates."

She blushes as he ties the other one and helps her up. She nearly trips on the toe picks, but he catches her just before her knees meet concrete. Her face just gets darker. "Uh… Th-Thanks."

"Yeah." He scratches the back of his neck; Hinata's discovered that it's his nervous habit. She actually thinks it's kind of cute. "So… um… let's go."

They step on to the ice, Sasuke's hands never leaving hers. He skates backwards, leading her along as she tries not to pitch forward. As they make the first turn, he does something fancy with his feet as Hinata tries to keep up. "W-Where'd you learn that?"

"What?"

"Th-The backwards." She trips again, but he's bracing her forearms so she has nowhere to fall.

"I was on a hockey team for awhile a few years back."

She smiles. "I didn't know you played hockey."

Sasuke looks sheepish. "Yeah, well… Hey, look! You're already getting the hang of it."

And she is. Tentatively, she lets go of his hands and glides for a few feet. An excited laugh bubbles from her throat and she grins at Sasuke, who laughs right back. They round the rink several times, until Hinata tries to skate backwards, then-

_Slam!_

Hinata is knocked backward, falling gracelessly on her behind. The perpetrator doesn't bother to look back. "Hey!" yells Sasuke. "We're skating here! Watch it!"

"Tell your girlfriend to watch where she's going." The teen calls over his shoulder.

Hinata frowns and stands up. "W-Watch your fat mouth, you bonehead."

The teen blinks at her for a second, then skates away without another word. Hinata immediately covers her mouth with her hands and turns beet red. "O-Oh, my God…"

"Wow, Hinata." Sasuke looks just as surprised as she does.

"Th-This is s-s-so embarrassing…" She feels light-headed, and as she tries to skate toward the opening in the barrier, she feels unsteady.

"No, it isn't!" Sasuke takes one of her elbows to center her. "It was cool."

"Y-You think so?"

"Definitely." He scratches his neck. "I actually thought it was kind of hot, too."

"H-H-Hot?" Hinata's mega-watt blush intensifies, and she feels her knees give out.

"Um, let's sit down…"

He guides her over to a bench and hands her his gloves. "If you hold these, I'll go grab us some hot chocolates." As her faces cools off, she studies the dilapidated leather surfaces. Sasuke's almost worn holes in the palms; the fingertips are rough.

"S-Sasuke, these g-gloves are t-terrible!" She remarks to him when he returns with the chocolate. Her blush has subsided by now. "What did you d-do to th-them?"

He laughs and accepts them back. "They're just old, that's all... over-used, too, I guess. I just keep forgetting to get new ones."

She nods and removes her own gloves, a pair of black cashmere.

"So… Hinata." He starts. "You were great out there. I mean, skating wise." He laughs a little again, and she turns pink with pleasure. "Why'd you stop when you were so young?"

Hinata stares down at the white scuffed skates still on her feet. "W-Well… My mom signed me up for l-lessons when I was four, and I k-kept with it because I liked it, and she liked it, and it m-made me feel closer to her." She closes her eyes. "That was really important to me, back then."

"So you two aren't close now, or what?" She hears Sasuke ask.

"U-Um… My mother is d-dead." She opens her eyes and looks at him. "B-Breast cancer."

"Oh, geez." Sasuke stares at her. "I'm sorry, Hinata. I had no idea."

"I-It's fine." She shrugs uneasily. "N-Not a big deal."

"We're not lucky, are we?" Sasuke says in a rather heavy voice. "When it comes to our parents."

_You don't know the half of it._ She says to herself, thinking of her father. "You're r-right." She manages softly, wrapping her coat tighter around herself.

They sit in silence for a moment; Hinata pensively drinks her hot chocolate. The two stare out at the skaters, and she watches one couple in particular pass them. They're skating extremely close together, and seem to be ecstatic just being in each other's arms. They are wearing just one coat around them both.

Hinata turns pink again and clears her throat quietly, hoping Sasuke doesn't sense her discomfort.

"Uh, Hinata?" He starts suddenly. "I was just thinking… Geez, how do I put this…"

She feels the color drain from her face and her heart sink to her stomach. She really should have seen this coming; it's actually rather pathetic that she didn't.

_She's_ sort of pathetic.

"It's been really nice having you around lately. I mean, _really_ nice."

_God, Hinata, you idiot! You let yourself get in too deep!_

"So, you know, about us. This… thing we've got going. I was just wondering… maybe we could make it long term?"

Hinata almost loses grip of the cup she's been squeezing. "H-Huh?"

"I mean, I think we've gotten past the speed dating, right? Maybe we could move into a real relationship."

She stares at him, completely bewildered.

She stares at him and decides that she doesn't understand him _at all._

Sometimes he'll be wild and rambunctious, utterly out of control, like when he was teaching her that racing game at the mall a few days ago.

Then other times, like now, when he's focusing on _her_, he'll be sweet and kind and caring. She just can't help but feel that he doesn't have much experience with the latter.

Sasuke treats her like she has a HANDLE WITH CARE sticker on her forehead.

She just doesn't know whether to be flattered that he cares so much about her well-being or indignant that he thinks her too fragile to deal with the truth.

"So, what do you think?" He asks, smiling hard at her.

Hinata looks away, fidgeting with one of her gloves. He likes her. He likes her _a lot_. And she can't help wanting to talk to him when she's not, wanting to be when him when she can't.

It's just… 'long term.' It's as if there's suddenly a contract to their relationship. No easy escape if things go wrong.

She sighs; this is exactly the kind of risk she wants nothing to do with.

But _still._

"You know, Sasuke, I'd like that very much." Hinata says, taking his hand in hers.

He squeezes, and she squeezes back, unafraid. Hand in hand, skin on skin. Neither of them is hiding behind their gloves now.

--

**hhyuga100: **so, do you get free tickets to games?

**hhyuga100: **you know, being a sports writer and all?

**rmnluver99: **Oh, yeah.

**rmnluver99:** I get tickets to the Yankees.

**rmnluver99: **the Rangers.

**rmnluver99: **the Mets.

**hhyuga100: **geez, you're lucky.

**rmnluver99: **Too bad it's my job, though, right?

**hhyuga100: **:P

**hhyuga100: **it must be great for you and your girlfriend.

**rmnluver99: **Um.

**rmnluver99: **Actually, I don't have a girlfriend.

**hhyuga100: **oh.

**hhyuga100:** well…

**hhyuga100: **don't you get lonely?

**rmnluver99: **Not really.

**rmnluver99: **I mean, it's not like I live alone.

**rmnluver99:** This guy's so annoying that it's anything but lonely around here.

**hhyuga100: **…uh huh.

**rmnluver99: **Hey!

**hhyuga100: **:D

**rmnluver99: **It's not like that!

**hhyuga100: **suuuure.

**rmnluver99: **Nah, I just haven't found the right girl yet.

**hhyuga100: **yeah?

**rmnluver99: **Yeah.

**hhyuga100: **you sure it's not the allure of your roommate?

**rmnluver99:** Absolutely positive.

--

**Author's Note:** Hey, all! I just want to quickly thank all of my reviewers. Each day, it becomes more and more apparent that your comments, criticism, and encouragement make life as a author of fanfiction SO much easier. You guys are the bombdiggity - thank you all so much!


	7. In Trust

7.

"Tell me!"

"No."

"Come _on._"

"No!"

"…Please?"

"What did I _just_ say?"

"Naruto, seriously. Tell me where he is!" Karin stands firmly in the doorway to the staff lounge.

Naruto tries to dislodge her, but she is immobile. "Why should I?"

"Because!" She digs around in the manila folders in her arms. "I have-" She whips out one in particular. "-the manuscript that you sent in to the editor an hour ago _right here._ And look!" She turns around the face the counter. "There's some black coffee _right there._ It wouldn't be very hard to just- slip!" She mimes tipping the pot over.

He rolls his eyes. "I'm flattered that you'd go through that much, but remember, I'm the one who wrote it. It's still on my computer, Karin."

She makes a huffy noise like a denied toddler. "Naruto, just tell me where Sasuke is! Now!"

"I have no clue!" Naruto says, forcing his way past her. "Go ask Tenten."

Karin's right eye twitches behind her thick glasses. "Tenten?" Her voice is short and angry, as if Naruto had suggested she drop dead. "I wouldn't give Tenten the time of day, so to speak!"

"It's 10:24, but thanks anyways." Tenten smirks from the doorway and comes in to pour herself a cup of coffee.

The following silence drags on, and Karin begins to quiver with indecisiveness, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Naruto and Tenten share a glace, and as he clears his throat, the red head bursts out, "Tenten, have you seen Sasuke?"

"Actually, yeah." Tenten loads the coffee with sweetener. "He's cleaning up the mess we made in the supply closet."

Karin turns red in a brilliant mixture of anger, jealousy, and embarrassment. It reminds Naruto strangely of Hinata; only it is much less attractive when Karin does it. "That is- That is company property!"

Tenten shrugs. "Like you wouldn't do the same."

Karin, unable to argue the point, slams the folders down on the linoleum table and opens the fridge.

"He's not really in the supply closet, is he." Naruto says to Tenten lowly. She shakes her head and rolls her eyes.

The movements, however, do not go unnoticed by Karin, and she whips around. "So where is he _really?_"

Tenten feigns ignorance. "Where's who, Kari?"

She twitches at the nickname. "Who else? Where's Sasuke?"

"Geez, I thought you just didn't listen to Naruto. I said, Sasuke's in the supply closet."

"But you told _him_ otherwise!"

"Since when do I tell Naruto the truth?"

"Since he's Sasuke's best friend."

"Naruto and Sasuke? Best friends? Stretching it a little, aren't you?"

"Tell me where Sasuke is."

"Ask Naruto, since they're supposed to be _best friends-_"

"Will you guys stop that?" Naruto yells suddenly, rubbing his forehead.

"What, the fighting?" Tenten smirks.

"No, go ahead, finish each other off. Just stop saying the _names._"

She blinks at him in confusion, but he looks pointedly at Karin. She nods. "Karin, he's hiding in the server room."

The red head runs a hand through her hair, the right side of which is frizzing rather unfortunately. "Duh!" She bolts from the room.

"So," Tenten pours another Sweet n' Low into her coffee. "Spill."

And so Naruto does.

He tells her everything, from the first time they chatted to the first time they met to the first time they kissed.

"Shit, Naruto," is all she has to say. "Shit."

"Who the _hell-_" growls Sasuke, staggering into the room, "-told her where I was?" His clothes are wrinkled and his hair is ruffled in the wrong direction.

Naruto immediately points to Tenten, but she ignores him. "Have you heard about this?"

Sasuke grunts a "what?" before feeding the vending machine a dollar and arranging his hair back into its normal state of disarray.

"This thing Naruto's got going with his girlfriend."

He smirks. "Yeah. Fucked-up, isn't it?" Naruto, however, feels avenged when the B-7 M&Ms Sasuke wanted get stuck between the spiral and the glass.

Tenten shakes her head as Sasuke shakes the machine. "You're basically screwed, Naruto."

"I know," He says, even though it's not the reaction he'd been hoping for.

"The shit's gonna hit the fan, and you have to be ready when it does." She tests the coffee before downing it almost entirely. "It's suicide."

"I wish I could just _not_ tell her."

"That's impossible." Sasuke says. "There's no fricking way you're pretending to be me for that long."

"I could change my name?" Naruto says almost hopefully.

His response is two identical looks, each saying clearly, _Like hell._

"Oh, come on! What's in a name?" Naruto stands up from his chair. "A rose would still be the same even if it were called something else."

There's a long silence in which the only sound is the almost imperceptible ticking of the clock above the refrigerator.

"That's Shakespeare, Naruto." Tenten says finally.

Naruto bristles. "Yeah, I know. Hinata says she likes it, so I decided to read up."

The other two share a look.

"She's got you completely whipped, doesn't she?" Tenten remarks, shaking her head before gathering up Karin's abandoned folders and leaving the room. Sasuke gives him a look of contempt and follows her.

Naruto sighs and leans on the vending machine. The M&Ms fall to the floor.

--

Hinata stands in front of the elevator in an orange building on Lawson Avenue. The piece of paper taped to the doors proclaims OUT OF ORDER in blue sharpie. She glances down at the piece of paper in her hand and groan at the thought of walking up eight flights of stairs.

But she does it anyway, and, trying to ignore the blossoming blisters on her feet, she knocks on the door of apartment 8E.

Sasuke opens the door and smiles at her before wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in for a toe-curling kiss. She laughs as soon as he lets go. "Hey there."

"Tch," comes a voice from behind the two if them. Hinata jumps and pulls away, blushing furiously as she realizes that someone else is in the room.

"Oh, yeah," Sasuke says, scratching the back of his head. "Hinata, this is my roommate, um… This is Bob. Bob, this is Hinata."

Bob seems absolutely livid and looks completely terrifying with his wild dark hair and shadowy eyes. Hinata swallows. "N-Nice to m-m-meet you."

Sasuke elbows her a little and grins. "Don't mind him, Hinata. Seriously. Bob just never grew out of his disaffected youth stage."

Bob scowls. "Fuck off, asshole."

"H-Hey!" Sasuke yells as Hinata turns red again. "Don't say that in front of her!"

He merely rolls his eyes and stalks out of the room. "U-Um, Sasuke…" Hinata says softly after he's gone. "Would it b-be alright if I left my bag here w-while we're g-gone?" She gestures to the large bag swung over her shoulder, filled with drawings and fabrics swatches.

"Uh…" Sasuke stares at her blankly, disarmed.

Hinata turns redder as she realizes that she's insinuating that she'll be coming back to his apartment later that night. "No, no, I just mean… I-it's really heavy, and if I d-don't have to lug it a-around… um…"

"No, it's fine. Here-" He takes the bag and sets it gingerly on the dinner table near the back of the room. "Sa- Bob? Keep an eye on her stuff, will you?" Bob grunts an affirmative from somewhere in the depths of the apartment. "All right, let's go."

The two trek down the hallway, but when Hinata makes for the stairs, Sasuke laughs. "You didn't walk all the way up here, did you?"

Hinata frowns, confused. "Well, yeah. How else c-could I have g-gotten up?"

"Aw, Hinata. I'm touched." He ruffles her hair, and she sticks her tongue out at him, trying not to feel too pleased with herself. "But the elevator's been 'out of order' since '04." He presses the down button. "Don't pay attention to it."

Hinata sighs and tries to ignore her throbbing heels.

When they reach the street, Sasuke flags down a cab. "Corner of 23rd and 18th, please."

"W-Where are we going?" Hinata asks, laughing a little and peering out the window as they approach their destination.

"Well," he sounds a little nervous. "I know you don't really like Christmas and all, but I th-"

"Christmas trees!" She cries suddenly, tapping on the glass. Indeed, the car pulls to a stop next to a building-less lot inhabited by a tree stand.

"Yeah." He looks carefully at her. She can tell he's gauging her reaction. "I was hoping you would help me pick out a tree. I mean, we don't have-"

"I've never picked out a Christmas tree before!" Hinata interrupts. He gives her a curious look, and she blushes, embarrassed by her out-of-place excitement. "W-We had a decorator t-to do that w-when I was little…" She clears her throat.

Sasuke rolls his eyes. "Hinata, you are so _weird_!" She turns pale. _Why do you always say such stupid things around him?_ But all thoughts are driven from her head as he steals a kiss. "But I like that about you." He yanks her hand and leads her from the taxi. "Come on!"

He guides her through the rows of fir trees. She stares at the slumps of people also moving through the needly columns. "B-But…" She frowns, "This is N-New York. W-Who has room for a Christmas tree?"

"You don't need a huge one. Like this guy-" Sasuke rests his hand on a tree not more than three feet tall. "This is an _excellent_ tree."

"I-It's so small, though. And… s-sad-looking."

"Oh, come on. Some ornaments and lights, and it would be the best tree ever."

Hinata giggles. "And you call me weird."

"OK, so maybe you'd need a few bottles of beer too, but if you tried hard enough…"

She laughs full out now, and the two of them migrate towards the bigger trees. "Th-This one?" She points to one about six feet tall.

"Jesus, no. Look at it. See all the needles that've fallen off? And the way the lower branches have already spread themselves out? This one's on its last leg."

"A-Ah." Hinata glances around, determined to find the perfect tree. "Th-This one?"

"Nope, too skinny."

She frowns and tries again. "This one?"

"Nah, too fat."

"Th-This one?"

"Too short."

"This one?"

"Too tall!"

Finally, after what feels like an hour of looking, Hinata sighs in disappointment and gestures to a random tree. "Th-This one?"

Sasuke smirks. "Yeah. That one."

Hinata can barely contain her frustration. "_Seriously?_ B-But-"

"It's good, look."

So she does, and it _is_ a nice tree. Not too tall, not too fat. "Y-You sure it's not on th-the skinny side?"

He laughs. "Not on your life. Hey!" He yells toward the stand manager. "Can you hold this one for me til tomorrow morning?"

"Sure thing." The man clicks his pen on the clipboard. "Name please?"

Sasuke pulls at the tips of his gloves, but doesn't say a word. The three stand in an increasingly awkward silence until Hinata tentatively touches him on the arm. He jerks forward and his hands fly to his pockets. "Sasuke Uchiha."

The manager's eyes flick to Hinata, giving her an odd look. Hinata finds herself blushing, and her grip on Sasuke's arm tightens. "Um, just be here, a'ight?" With one last look, the man grabs a hold of the tree and begins to drag it away. "Tomorrow morning."

"Sure thing," Sasuke repeats dully. Hinata hugs herself and watches her breath dissipate into the air around her. "Sorry about that, Hinata." He adds and shrugs his shoulders a bit.

She opens her mouth slightly but can't think of anything to say. She and Sasuke stand there for a minute as she racks her brain for some way to bring him back. A siren rails away in the distance, and her eyes are drawn to the other side of the street.

He suddenly turns to her. "Hinata, I gotta tell you something-"

"H-Hey!" She pulls on his arm and points across the road. "There's a bar over there. L-Let's go."

Sasuke stares at her, incredulity plastered adorably on his face. "Wait, _what?_"

"A-A bar. Um, let's go."

He absently rubs the back of his neck, thinking it over. "You… You want to?"

Hinata pushes all second thoughts from her mind. "Y-Yes."

"But I really have to tell you-"

She smiles pleadingly, desperate to get his mind off of whatever is troubling him. "You can t-tell me later. Come on, Sasuke."

Sasuke blinks. "All right then."

She smiles, satisfied that she's drawn him back. "Yeah, all right."

--

Thin, pale fingers reach for another shot.

"Hey… You don't want to be doing that…" Naruto tries to protest, but Hinata waves him off. She giggles a bit as she downs the liquor in her hand. "How about we don't drink anymore…"

"Whoa, man. She's hardcore!" The bartender with bleached hair stares at Hinata. He quickly sets down more shots to replace the ones she's already consumed.

"No, seriously." Naruto pushes them out of her reach. "We're going home, all right?"

"No way, Sassssuke." Hinata slurs, her hand absentmindedly groping the counter for more alcohol. She laughs, her cheeks stained pink. "It _rhymes_!"

He just stares at her for a few minutes. "OK, we're leaving. _Now._" He grabs her arm and pulls her off the stool. Hinata hiccups and laughs again, falling forward. Naruto just barely catches her.

"Oh, she's _wasted_," the bartender laughs. Hinata waves back to him, and he wiggles his eyebrows. Naruto glowers and takes her shoulders, pointing her in the direction of the door.

The cab ride home is awkward, to say the least, as Hinata positively hangs off his shoulders and drifts her lips over his right ear.

_She's drunk… She's drunk… She's really _hot_, but really__drunk…_

It's then that he remembers her bag sitting on his kitchen table, and he swallows at the idea of Hinata coming up to his apartment… "Um, Hinata, I can just give you your bag back tomorrow, right?"

She throws back her head and laughs, a reaction from her that he's not at all used to.

"Hey," Naruto taps the cabbie on the shoulder. "You can get her home, right?"

"Of course not!" He says, staring at Naruto like he's crazy. True, the two of them smell obnoxiously of alcohol, but Naruto doesn't believe that there's any need to be rude…

"_What?_" He groans. "You have got to be kidding me!"

"Are _you_ kidding _me_?" The man raises his ridiculously large eye brows at him. "She is drunk!"

"Yeah, but we're already at my apartment…" He grumbles. "Can't you just, you know, drive her home?"

"No. I will not do it."

"Fine. Then I'll just take my fare somewhere else!"

"Sir, are you really going to entrust a drunken women with a complete stranger?" Naruto falls silent and slumps in his seat. "Now I suggest you get out before I hike up your fare."

"Time to go, Hinata," he says heavily to the woman. She giggles again, and he hands the driver a few bills, very careful _not_ to leave a tip.

The two step out onto the sidewalk, or, in Hinata's case, stagger into the pool of orange under the streetlight. Naruto immediately makes for his car, only to find an unfamiliar sedan in its place. He stares at it, panicking for a moment, until he realizes that he had moved the car to a garage just a week before. "Fuck it!" He rubs his face, the beers he had drank finally getting to him.

"Fuck _me_, Sasssssssuke…" Hinata whines, leaning her forehead on his shoulder.

He blinks for a second and then feels his ears turn red. He carefully takes her arms and pushes her back a bit. She gasps in delight and brings his hand down to her waist. "Dance with me!" Naruto only feels his ears getting hotter and quickly says, "Let's go upstairs."

Hinata asks adamantly if they can race, but she can't walk a straight line and Naruto refuses to run up eight flights of stairs. She then attempts to explain what happened to her a work that day, but she keeps breaking down into laughter and he can't stop thinking about the feel of his hands on her waist.

He practically drags her to his door, only to be greeted by the not-so-sunny face of one incredibly tired and equally annoyed Sasuke Uchiha. "It does _not_ take four fucking hours to get a Christmas tree."

"We got… sidetracked." Naruto concedes, guiding Hinata into the apartment.

"Bob!" She cries out, latching onto Sasuke. "Oh, Bob, it's so good to see you again!"

"Which reminds me," Sasuke looks up at Naruto venomously._ "'Bob'?"_

"Shut up. I had a split-second to come up with a name."

"Oh, right. Because it's _my_ fault I can't use my own." He pries Hinata's arms off his torso none-too-gently and watches as she wobbles around with a lopsided grin on her face. "She's drunk."

"You noticed?" Naruto growls as Sasuke's smirk becomes more pronounced. "Hey, Hinata, do me a favor. Go sit at the table and count to twenty while me and, uh, _Bob_ talk."

"Is this a game?"

"…Yes."

Hinata nods energetically and stumbles over to the table as Naruto grasps Sasuke's shoulder and pulls him over to the other side of the room.

"One!"

"What do I do?" Naruto asks in a strangled voice.

"Two…"

"I should think it'd be pretty obvious." Sasuke replies coolly. "Get her home."

"Three, four!…"

"_How_?" Naruto says, panicking.

"Um… Seven…"

"Put her in a taxi."

"Eleven."

"No way! She'll get mugged or raped or something!"

"Thirteen… Sixteen…"

"Don't you have a car?"

"…Eighteen…"

"It's at the garage at one in the morning. Who's gonna be there?"

"Call one of her friends, then."

"Are you serious? Do you have any idea how pissed they'd be if they knew that I let her get drunk? I mean, look at her!"

They turn to look and find her passed out on the table.

"Oh, shit." Naruto mumbles over and over again as Sasuke pinches the bridge of his nose and tries to keep from laughing.

"No, this is good. This is good!" Naruto finally says. "She's asleep and she can just stay here. Asleep. This is good."

The two stare at her for a while until: "So… what. Are you just gonna leave her there?"

"No!" Naruto says defensively. "I'll put her on the couch. With some pillows. And a blanket. I'll take off her shoes. Maybe her coat…?"

"Unconscious striptease." Sasuke shakes his head and makes to leave the room. "You are an asshole."

"Go to hell!" Naruto yells. "No, wait. Go to sleep. It's one in the morning!"

--

**To:** Naruto Uzumaki (rmnluver99)

**From:** Hinata Hyuga (hhyuga100)

**Sent:** 07:35, 09 Dec 2007

**Subject:** you asked for it

**Attachment:** (still needs a name).doc (254 KB)

naruto,

so, here it is: my great american novel. it's really, really bad, so please don't sue me if your eyes start to bleed. i didn't want you to read it at all (i mean, come on. it doesn't even have a name yet), but you're just so damn _persistent_. :D but seriously. stop reading if you experience suicidal thoughts.

hinata

--


	8. Partly Sunny

8.

Hinata's apartment smells like… bacon?

Her nose twitches as she rolls over under the thick blankets strewn on top of her, trying to think of who would be at her house this early, making bacon of all things.

Sakura can't cook.

Ino would be singing.

Hinata frowns, realizing the culprit.

_Hanabi._

It would be _just_ like her to crash at Hinata's apartment the night before her plane left for Mumbai.

Her eyes fly open, and she's entirely prepared to go all out on her sister for waking her up when she has such a headache, but she's greeted by a huge television surrounded by pictures of people she doesn't know.

She swallows and jams her eyes shut again. This is _not_ her apartment.

The customary panic of finding oneself in an unfamiliar place descends upon her, but she tries to keep absolutely silent. Maybe if she pretends to be asleep, whoever brought her here will leave her alone…

"Am I doing it right?" A familiar voice hisses over the sizzling of the bacon.

"No, idiot," says someone else. "Let me do it."

"No, _I'm_ making breakfast for her. Back off."

"Stop being such a dumbass, you're burning it."

"Shut up!"

Relief floods Hinata's mind as she realizes that it's Sasuke and Bob arguing. She struggles with her memory, trying to remember what happened last night, but her crippling headache makes it impossible to focus. She feebly sits up and rubs her eyes.

"This breakfast is pitiful, Nar-"

"S-Sasuke?" She calls tentatively.

There's a pause of silence before Sasuke sticks his blond head through the archway from the kitchen. "Yeah?"

"Um…" Hinata tries to think of a way to phrase her question in a way that won't sound idiotic, but she can't come up with anything. "W-What happened l-last night?"

He steps out into the room, standing in front of her, shirtless. She blushes madly and averts her eyes. "Well, you sort of… got drunk."

Hinata stares at him and all the color drains from her face. "Oh." That would explain the headache… But what happened to her suit jacket? Oh, God… "U-Um… S-S-Sasuke… we d-didn't… um… have, uh… d-did we?"

He stares at her for a minute, confused, and then it dawns on him. "What, have sex?"

Now the real panic starts. "O-Oh, m-m-my God…"

"No, no, no!" He hurriedly throws up his hands. "We didn't, we _didn't_. I wasn't _that_ drunk, and you know that I wouldn't take advantage of you like that."

She sighs with relief and falls back onto the couch, closing her eyes. She's still tired, and the headache dulls enough for a moment for her to feel sleepy, and the weak winter sunlight feels delicious across her face… She hears the swishing of Sasuke's sweatpants and feels… safe. At least until he says, "You _do_ know that, right?" in a doubtful voice.

Hinata's eyes fly open in a panic when she realizes exactly what that tone means: he doesn't think she trusts him. She jerks up and tries to ignore the dizzying pain. "I-I do trust you, you know!" She manages. His face doesn't change, as skeptical as before. "I r-really do. I-I just d-didn't remember… I d-didn't know-" She abruptly stops her rambling and stares him down, scrambling to find the intensity she needs to make him believe her. "I _do_ trust you."

Sasuke stares at her, maybe weighing his options, maybe thinking she's too much trouble to put up with. Hinata tries not to shrink back, but she's still incredibly tired, and although the Saturday sunlight feels good, it's just feeding the flames of her headache. "I'm s-sorry," She falls back. "Sorry I got d-drunk."

"No, it's my fault. I shouldn't have let you drink so much." Sasuke ruffles his hair. Perhaps the decision he's made hasn't taken her out of the picture… yet. "But you _are_ crazy when you're hammered."

She can feel the heat creeping back into her face. "I didn't d-do anything… s-stupid, d-did I?"

He laughs. "Nothing stupider than I would have done."

"More stupid," She can't help but correct him.

"Grammar Nazi…" He says with a snort, crossing his arms. She tries to ignore how nice his shoulders look… along with every other part of him… "And Hinata, did you really think I'd leave you on the couch if we had slept together?"

Another insufferable blush stains her cheeks and she resorts to a shrug. The knowledge, however, makes her feel… worthwhile. Content. She glances back up to find Sasuke walking back into the kitchen. "Come get some bacon!"

After wrapping her body in a blanket, Hinata walks over and sits down at the table. Bob stands in front of the stove, thankfully completely clothed but still seemingly grumpy. Sasuke moves her bag from in front of her and sets down a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast. She swallows, wondering how she's going to eat all of it, having only eaten a bowl of granola every morning for the past five months.

"So I remembered that you don't like coffee," Sasuke brings her a mug, "and I dug around in the cupboard and found some Swiss Miss. I mean, it's not gourmet or anything, but…" He sits down across from her and grins.

Hinata stares at him and wonders (just for a second) what it would be like to wake up with him everyday. What it would be like to never be single and lonely again. No more coming home to an empty apartment, no more why-aren't-you-married-yet looks from her father… Just for a second, she lets herself hope that this relationship works out.

"Thanks, Sasuke." She says softly.

"No problem, Hinata." He raises his mug to her in an early morning salute. "No problem."

--

_Jacob Walker cocks the gun, fingers pressing against the trigger. His lips tremble along with the hands holding the pistol. "Why'd you do it?" He asks the man standing across from him. His voice doesn't show weakness, even though his body is wavering. "Why'd you kill her?"_

_O'Riley shoots him a cruel smile. "For the same reason you can't kill me. I'm heartless. It's all up here." He taps his temple, mocking Walker. "So go ahead. Try and kill me. We both know you can't do it."_

_Walker lunges across the room and grabs him by the shirt. "I'm not fucking around, O'Riley," He growls. "I loved her, and you murdered her in cold blood."_

_"Can you do that to _me_, Walker?" He sneers. "Can you murder _me_ in cold blood?"_

_Walker takes the gun and presses it to O'Riley's chin. The other man's eyes-_

"It's terrible!"

_-never leave his, challenging him. Walker's fingers twitch at the trigger and-_

"St-stop reading, please!" Hinata moans and buries her face in Naruto's chest.

"Hinata, this is great and you know it." He's trying valiantly to focus on Jacob Walker and his revenge, but with Hinata lying there on the couch next to him, it's an almost-impossible feat.

"Y-You're just saying that…" She tries desperately to steal the leather-covered notebook back, but Naruto easily keeps it out of her reach.

"Oh, come on," He laughs. "I'm a newspaper writer; I don't waste my time on stories that don't cut it. This is really, really good."

She stares at him, chewing at her bottom lip. "Y-You really think so?"

"I know so," He answers, and seals the statement with a kiss.

He really does think it's a good storyline, even if he is the author's boyfriend and even if he already knows that a stunning plot twist involving Walker's new lady love keeps him from killing O'Riley. Even so.

"I-I want to get it published," She confides, sitting up. Naruto's body whines at her sudden absence, but he lets go of her waist.

"You will," He stays on her white couch and flips through the rest of the notebook while she heads to the kitchen. "It really is good, Hinata."

She steps back out into the room for a second and leans against the wall. He can hear the coy smile in her voice as she says, "Are you being honest, Sasuke?"

Naruto blinks and looks down at his hands.

Honest about _what_?

Can he ever say he's being truthful anymore?

He watches his fingers twitch and knows he's not ready to pull the trigger on this relationship.

"Sasuke?" She asks uncertainly.

He studies her face and feels his stomach drop. She's wearing the same hesitant look she wore when he first stumbled over his name weeks ago at that Starbucks. He stalls over those eyes that almost exactly match the color of the overcast sky outside. God, he doesn't want to lose this… "Yes." He says finally. "I'm being honest. It's great."

She nods, but the confusion and doubt on her face remain. "C-Come and gets s-some coffee."

Naruto smiles and jumps up. "You made some? Just for me?" He comes over and trails kisses down her neck, listening to her giggles.

"Y-Yes…" She manages, and wraps her arms around his neck. "Are you in?"

He laughs before kissing her on the lips. "You better believe it…"

--

**rmnluver99:** Hinata.

**rmnluver99: **How do you feel about secrets?

**hhyuga100: **secrets?

**hhyuga100: **secrets don't make friends, naruto.

**rmnluver99: **Oh, ha ha.

**hhyuga100: **:D

**rmnluver99: **But really. Secrets.

**hhyuga100:** well…

**hhyuga100: **when i was little, i was terrified of mr. potato head.

**hhyuga100: **i had nightmares that i was his wife

**hhyuga100: **and i couldn't do anything but pump out little tater tots for him.

**rmnluver99: **…

**rmnluver99: **Wow.

**hhyuga100: **it's stupid, but that's my secret.

**rmnluver99: **Yeah, not quite what I had in mind.

**hhyuga100: **oh.

**rmnluver99: **So…

**rmnluver99: **Mrs. Potato Head, I presume?

**hhyuga100: **who else? :D

--


	9. A Discovery

9.

"I want to take Sasuke dancing." Hinata confesses suddenly, drumming her fingers on the wood of the table.

"What…" Ino frowns. "Like, clubbing?"

"No," Hinata cocks her head. "One time I went to this cool little Jazz club outside the city… I'd like to take Sasuke there."

They stare at her for a second, then Ino bursts out, "No!" She waves her hands back and forth, threatening to tip over on her chair. "No, no, no. You can't test him yet! It's _way_ too early!"

"Yes," says Sakura flatly, stabbing at her carrot cake. "Watch him crumble under the weight of commitment."

The three women sit at Hinata's kitchen table, poring over the Sunday paper. Sakura is chugging her way through the crossword, while Ino sighs over the wedding vows on the Commitment page. Hinata unabashedly seeks out Naruto's name in the Sports section, having already found Sasuke in World News. "I d-don't think h-he's like that…"

Both Ino and Sakura laugh at this.

"_All_ guys are like that!" Sakura says.

"You have to be pretty much married to go dancing." Ino snips out an article about a couple wedded in Central Park. The bride in the photo looks breath-taking… but absolutely freezing, standing amongst the snow in a sleeveless cream-colored gown. Hinata blushes.

"What?" Ino says, traces of laughter still left in her voice.

"You can't really want to marry this guy, Hinata."

"Um…" Hinata eyes fall back to the page in her hands. "L-Look! Here he is."

"Who? Naruto?" Ino leans across the table. "You're right. Football. Go figure."

"I bet his writing's mediocre at best." Sakura sniffs.

"Sakura!" The other two admonish her at the same time.

"What?" She exclaims innocently, taking the paper from under Hinata's fingertips. The literary criticism immediately comes pouring off her tongue; Sakura's fury has doubled since reading Sasuke's article, in which she had been able to find nothing to condemn. Issuing a warning look towards the roseate-haired woman, Hinata takes back the article before she is able to finish.

"Don't you want to meet him, though?" Ino asks, twirling a lock of blond hair.

Hinata shrugs. "W-Well…"

"He sounds like such a catch, Hinata." Ino presses. "I mean, funny, clever, successful… you don't find a guy like that in every chatroom."

"S-Sasuke's great too…"

"Plus he's _there_," Sakura adds. "He's already attainable. Naruto might turn out to be a complete bust."

"I-I don't think s-so…"

"Well, why ruin it with Naruto when you already have something with Sasuke?" Sakura says, stacking her empty place on top of Ino's.

"Why not have them _both?_" Ino sighs, resting her chin on her hand.

Hinata gets up and folds the Sports page decisively in half, placing it by her computer. "I-I appreciate your opinions, but I'm f-fine with the way things are now." Isn't she?

"I'm just saying," Ino says with a shrug. "If the shoe fits, buy it in every color."

Sakura rolls her eyes. "Don't listen to her, Hinata. Ino's lost many a man by biting off more than she can chew."

"Hey! That's _so_ not true. I never bite anything I can't handle. Or should I make that any_one?_" She grins mischievously.

Sakura shoots her a withering look. "One of these days you are going to be in real trouble."

"And one of these days _you_ are going to be an old maid."

"At least I'm not a whore."

"Well, at least I don't have a bill board forehead like you!"

"Thank God I don't have an ass the size of Texas like _you_!"

"What did you just say, Pinky?"

"Oh, bring it on, Ino-pig-"

"Y-You guys." Hinata murmurs. "Take a look at this."

Both women fall silent and move to stare over her shoulder. She's looking at another page of the paper, one filled almost entirely with advertisements. In the middle of the page there's one that she's paying particular attention to. She points it out as the other two look on.

"'Uchiha Optics'?" Sakura cocks her head. "I think they make my contacts."

Hinata squints at the page. "Sasuke _Uchiha_."

Ino gasps. "Oh, my God! You don't think…?"

Sakura elbows her rather viciously. "No shit. How many Uchihas can there be?"

"He n-n-never told me about this." Hinata frowns, looking closely at the ad as if it will reveal more secrets.

"It's not exactly something you'd make sure to tell someone straight off…" Ino says, rubbing her arm. "I don't think it'd be high on my list."

Sakura pats Hinata on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Hinata. It's a harmless little ad."

But as the other two return to their bickering, Hinata takes the scissors Ino had been using and cuts the advertisement out.

Just in case.

--

"What is this?" Naruto slams the ad on the table.

Sasuke glances up. "Excuse me?"

"Why didn't you tell me you had a frickin' ad out?" Naruto cries angrily.

"Oh," The other man blinks blandly.

"What do you mean, '_Oh_'?"

"So they ran it…"

"_What?_" Naruto is furious.

"I told them not to…" Sasuke shakes his head and returns his attention back to the paper.

"So that's it?" He stands there, absolutely livid. "That's all you have to say after your family's retarded company almost ruins my life!"

Sasuke shoots him a scalding look. "Naruto, if the real Sasuke doesn't know about it, how is the fake one supposed to find out?"

Naruto lets out a furious, wordless yell and covers his face with his hands. He paces the room a few more times, breathing heavily, before sinking into the chair opposite Sasuke. "You don't understand," He says finally. The other man has given him his full attention by now. "This… _stupid _little ad could have ruined everything for me, don't you get that? Can you at least _try_ and work with me on this?"

Sasuke blinks back at him, and after a pause he grinds out, "Naruto, this is absolutely ridiculous."

No answer.

"You_ cannot_ go on like this."

Silence, again.

"This has to end. _Now._"

"It can't." Naruto replies finally.

"Naruto," Sasuke leans in. "This will not work out." The blonde looks away. "And you already know it."

"I can't lose her." Naruto says flatly, and he grabs the advertisement on his way out of the room. "And I'm not going to."

Sasuke frowns, his ego stinging from having his good will snubbed so completely. Naruto is already in way over his head; Sasuke knows he will eventually end up being the one to bail the dead-last out.

He sighs and folds up the paper, redefining the creases absent-mindedly.

This isn't going to end well.

--

Ino absentmindedly fiddles with one of the cloth blossoms taped to the end of a pen laying on the countertop. Her shift is over in a half hour, and then it's four hours of rehearsal, and then tomorrow it's the matinee, and- Oh, God.

Major hottie at- she glances down at her watch- 5:06.

As he steps in out of the cold, Ino manages to get a good look at him. Wild, black bedroom hair. Smoldering dark eyes. Flawless skin. Kissable lips. Broad shoulders. Smart clothes. Ino sighs and cranes her neck a little. She bets his ass isn't bad either.

Ino fixes her hair and puts on her best smile. "Hey, there," She shamelessly bats her eyelashes and leans forward towards the man.

He barely looks at her. "Grande latte, and can you _please_ make it quick?"

Ino smirks; she _does_ like them bossy… "Coming right up." She moves to the side, elbowing her lanky, nineteen-year-old coworker out from behind the coffee machine. He makes a protesting sound, but she silences him with a glare. "I'm Ino Yamanaka, by the way," She tells the handsome stranger as she pulls a lever.

"That's nice," He says flatly. She watches his hands drum impatiently on the counter.

Undaunted, she concocts the hot drink and slips on the cardboard sleeve. "Cold outside, isn't it?" She tries again, popping on the lid.

"Yes… it's _winter_." A muscle in his cheek jumps, signaling that perhaps a lesser man would have rolled his eyes.

Ino frowns. Maybe it's time to pull out the big guns. "That'll be $3.10." He takes out the money, and she cocks her head. "I'll also need to see your driver's license."

"_What?_" He glares at her and tries to reach over the counter to grab the coffee, but she keeps it just out of his reach.

"Ah ah," She wags her finger. "No license, no latte."

The man continues to glare at her, but Ino is _not_ backing down. After about a minute of glowering, the man growls and accepts her ultimatum. Ino smirks in victory as she snatches his license, quickly getting to work on memorizing the information. Age: 26. Height: 6' 3''. Not an organ donor (Ino frowns). Name: Sasuke Uchiha.

OK.

Wait.

Ino laughs, albeit a little uncertainly. "It's funny… My friend is dating someone with the exact same name as you. Isn't that just uncanny?"

Surprise flits across the man's face. "There's only one Sasuke Uchiha."

Ino smiles at him indulgently. "Well, you can hardly know that…"

Sasuke looks around, as if to judge if anyone is watching. "No, really. There's only one."

Something's up, she can feel it. "Wait, what do you mean? What's going-?"

"You know Hinata?" Ino watches as the man makes decisions behind his eyes.

"Yes, how did you-?"

"Listen." He leans in close. "There's only one Sasuke Uchiha, and that's me. Your friend is dating my roommate, Naruto Uzumaki. Remember that name, it's very important. Naruto Uzumaki, but he's using my name. Got it?"

"Naruto Uzumaki." Ino repeats in a daze. "Got it."

Sasuke takes back his license and grabs his latte before skirting out the door, back into New York City.

Ino stands in shock for a few minutes after he leaves, going over this new development in her mind. If it were anyone else, Ino would have thought it delicious gossip. But this is Hinata.

The girl doesn't deserve what's coming to her.

An impatient clearing of the throat from her coworker brings her back to life. Ignoring the customer who has just approached the counter, she dashes back to the store room to grab her cell phone.

You don't leave the customer, her manager had drilled into her head over a year ago. Only for emergencies.

And oh, was this an emergency.

--

**hhyuga100:** naruto, will you always be there?

**rmnluver99: **What?

**hhyuga100:** um, nothing.

**rmnluver99:** No really.

**hhyuga100:** really!

**rmnluver99:** Hinata!

**hhyuga100:** …ok.

**hhyuga100:** i was just wondering…

**hhyuga100:** can you… try and stick around with me?

**hhyuga100:** i mean, can i count on you?

_-6 minutes-_

**hhyuga100:** um… naruto? hello?

**hhyuga100:** you still there?

**rmnluver99:** Right here.

**hhyuga100:** so…?

**rmnluver99:** Yeah.

**rmnluver99:** You can count on me, Hinata.

--


End file.
